Inequity for asthmatic Maori kids exposed

A new study reveals Maori children with asthma are hospitalised at twice the rate of non-Maori children.

The study, by the Liggins Institute at the University of Auckland, had documented from 2010 to 2019 that children living in high-deprivation areas were on average admitted to hospital 2.8 times higher than those in least-deprived areas.

It’s also estimated a combined cost of asthma hospitalisations and prescriptions to be $165 million.

A larger proportion of Maori children is said to have had an asthma readmission within 90 days of their first admission and researcher Dr Justin O’Sullivan said it’s because they aren’t receiving primary care that is consistent with prevention.

Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ chief executive Letitia Harding says the foundation’s latest report, The Impact of Respiratory Disease in New Zealand: 2018 Update, found that prevalence, hospitalisation and mortality were all significantly higher for Maori and Pasifika in more socio-economically deprived neighbourhoods.

The foundation is looking to combat inequities and reach vulnerable communities through education, with booklets available on how to manage a child’s asthma, asthma action plans and asthma symptom diaries — also available in te reo Maori.

“The findings of the University of Auckland study reinforce the value and necessity of this outreach work,” Harding said.